In the recycling technology of toner cartridges of copiers, facsimile machines and laser printers, it has been proposed to provide the photosensitive drum or the magnetic roller or primary charging roller with a coating. For these purposes, devices have been proposed for facilitating the coating step. The said devices use a swab impregnated with the coating composition (a liquid composition). In the known devices, the swab contact the drum or roller while driven in rotation, and the swab is moved horizontally and parallel to the axis of rotation of the drum or roller. Therefore, the amount of composition released from the swab when beginning the coating is higher than the amount of composition released from the swab at the end of the coating step. Problems of such a coating are:
not uniform coating,
risk of lack of coating composition for the last coated part of the drum or roller, whereby a part of the roller or drum to be coated can remain uncoated, due to a lack of composition in the swab.
The present invention has for subject matter a device whereby a substantially uniform coating can be obtained on elements such as drums, rollers, blades can be obtained.
The invention relates to a device for coating at least a part of an element by means of a swab impregnated with a coating composition, said device comprising:
a support provided with a guiding path and with a means for bearing the element to be coated;
a mobile carriage with means for bearing the swab, said carriage being movable along the guiding path;
a means for ensuring a movement of the mobile carriage along the guiding path with respect to the element to be coated;
a means for pushing the swab towards the element to be coated so that a quantity of the composition released from the swab coats the element, and
a means for varying the quantity of released composition per unit of length of movement of the mobile carriage along at least a path of the guiding path, so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform.
Advantageously, the device further comprises a room in which at least the support and the mobile carriage are located, said room being provided with an inlet connected to an air cleaning system. Preferably, the said inlet is adapted for ensuring a substantially laminate flow at least in the neighborhood of the support and the mobile carriage. Such an air inlet is advantageous for preventing dust or other solid particles to enter into the applied and/or to be applied on the coating before its complete hardening or its tack free.
According to an embodiment, the device further comprises a table, a vertical supporting element, and fixing means, whereby the support is movable between a first position in which the support is fixed to the table and a second position in which the support is fixed on the vertical supporting element. Preferably, the vertical supporting element is mounted pivotable around a vertical axis. Preferably, especially when the element to be coated is a drum or a roller, the device further comprises a driving means for driving into rotation the element to be coated.
A preferred device of the invention comprises:
a support provided with guiding path and with a means for beating the element to be coated;
a mobile carriage with means for bearing the swab, said carriage being movable along the guiding path;
a means for ensuring a movement of the mobile carriage along the guiding path with respect to the element to be coated;
a means for pushing the swab towards the element to be coated so that a quantity of the composition released from the swab coats the element, and
a means for varying the quantity of released composition per unit of length of movement of the mobile carriage along at least a part of the guiding path, so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform, whereby the said means for varying the quantity of released composition per unit of length of movement of the mobile carriage along at least a part of the guiding path is a means pushing of the swab towards the element to be coated during a movement of the mobile carriage along at least a part of the guiding path.
Advantageously, the means for varying the pushing of the swab towards the element to be coated varies the said pushing of the swab towards at least a part of the element during the movement of the carriage corresponding to the coating of the said part of the element by the swab, the said pushing varying substantially continuously from a first pushing force and a second pushing force so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform. For example, in case of a vertical pushing of the swab towards the element to be coated, the said pushing varying substantially continuously from a first pushing force and a second pushing force higher than the first pushing force so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform, while for a horizontal pushing of the swab towards the element, the said pissing varying substantially continuously from a first pushing force and a second pushing force lower than the first pushing force so that the coating of the said part is substantially uniform.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the mobile carriage has a body movable along the guiding path, said body being provided with a pivoting piece bearing the swab. The pivoting piece is preferably pivoting around an axis with respect to the body, said axis being advantageously parallel to the axis of the guiding path.
According to an embodiment, the means for ensuring a movement of the mobile carriage along the guiding path with respect to the element to be coated moves the said mobile carriage according to a back-and-forth motion. At least during a part of the forth motion, the swab contacts the element to be coated. Preferably, the device further comprises a means for moving the swab at tile element to be coated a side during the back motion to the carriage.
The device comprises advantageously a means for moving the swab and the element aside before the coating of the element and/or after the coating of the element, for example just alter the end of the coating step. This is advantageous in order to ensure that during a first relative movement of the carriage, the swab is progressively movement towards the element, while kit the end of the coating, during a relative movement of the carriage, the swab is progressively removed from the element. Thus the swab when in relative movement with respect to the element to be coated is moved from a position aside the element to a contact position with the element before starting the coating operation, and from a position in contact with the element to a position aside after ending the coating.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the device further comprises a means for holding the swab and the element aside when the carriage is adjacent to a first position of the guiding path, and a means for displacing at least a part of the carriage when the carriage is moved away from the said first position, so that the swab contacts the element. This movement of the swab is advantageously realized by a roller working with a nock.
According to a specific embodiment, the means for bearing the element to be coated comprises two bearing elements between which the element to be coated is placed, said bearing elements being aligned along a first axis, said axis being preferably the axis of rotation of the element to be coated. The mobile carriage is movable along an axis parallel to the guiding path of the carriage, said axis being distant from the said first axis and being not particle to the said first axis. The second axis forms advantageously an angle with a line parallel to the said first axis and crossing the said second axis, said angle being preferably comprised between 0.1xc2x0 and 15xc2x0, for example between 0.1xc2x0 and 5xc2x0, especially between 0.2 and 2xc2x0.
The invention relates also to a process for coating an element with a coating composition, in which a swab impregnated with the coating composition is contacted with the element to be coated and is in relative longitudinal movement with respect to the element to be coated so as to release a quantity of composition for coating a part of the element, and in which the quantity of composition released by the swab per unit of length of relative movement of the swab with respect to the element is controlled so that the coating of the said part of the element with the composition is substantially uniform.
Advantageously, the swab contacts the element in an air clean environment, for example, an air clean environment containing substantially no particles with a size greater than 5 xcexcm, preferably containing substantially no particles with a size greater than 1 xcexcm. This is advantageous for preventing the presence of undesired large particles (dusts, etc.) in the coating or on the coating.
Preferably, the swab contacts the element in an air environment with a temperature comprised between 15 and 30xc2x0 C. or with a controlled temperature and/or with a relative humidity of less than 50% (preferably of less than 40% or in a substantially dry air). Advantageously, the swab contacts the element in a substantially laminar clean airflow. The air environment can be controlled so as to adapt the temperature and/or the humidity and/or the speed of the air flow for obtaining the required coating, for example for controlling the evaporation of the solvent used in the composition, and/or for controlling the reaction speed and/or for ensuring a good application of the composition on the element to be coated.
Advantageously, the element is driven in rotation, and the swab contacts the element while rotating.
In the process of the invention, the swab is advantageously pressed with a controlled pressure on the element for obtaining an uniform coating. For example, the swab is pushed with a pushing force on the element to be coated, the said pushing force being controlled during the relative movement of the swab with respect to the element so as to obtain an uniform coating of the element.
When the swab is pushed with a vertical pushing force on the element to be coated, the said vertical pushing force is advantageously controlled during the relative movement of the swab with respect to the element so as that said vertical pushing force varies continuously front a first pushing force to a second pushing force, said second pushing force being greater than the first pushing force.
When the swab is pushed with a horizontal pushing force on the element to be coated and in which the said horizontal pushing force is controlled during the relative movement of the swab with respect to the element so as that said horizontal pushing force varies continuously from a first pushing force to a second pushing force, said second pushing force being lower than the first pushing force.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the process of the invention, the swab is moved with a back-and-forth motion with respect to the element to be coated, in which the swab contacts the element during at least a part of the forth motion, and in which the swab and the element are aside during the back motion of the swab.
Preferably, the coating composition is a composition for obtaining an antistatic and anti abrasive coating. Most preferably, the coating composition is a composition for obtaining an anti static, anti fog, anti stick, heat resistant, chemical resistant and anti abrasive coating.
The invention further relates to a process for recycling a toner cartridge comprising at least a magnetic roller and a doctor blade, in which the said doctor blade and magnetic roller are removed from the cartridge, in which the removed doctor blade anal magnetic roller are coated with an antistatic and anti abrasive coating, and in which, after coating, the said doctor blade and magnetic roller are placed back in the cartridge. Before the coating operation, the doctor blade and magnetic roller are preferably cleaned. If required, the doctor blade is submitted to a treatment for substantially restoring the initial shape of the blade, for example by a heat treatment and by application of a pressure on the blade.
The invention relates also to:
a process for recycling a toner cartridge comprising at least a magnetic roller, a doctor blade, a photosensitive drum, a wiper blade, a fists roller and a primary charge roller, in which the photosensitive drum and the wiper blade are removed from the cartridge, in which the removed photosensitive drum and wiper blade are coated with an antistatic and anti abrasive coating, and in which, after coating, the said photosensitive drum and the wiper blade are placed back in the cartridge;
a process for recycling a toner cartridge comprising at least a magnetic roller, a doctor blade, a photosensitive drum, a wiper blade, a fuser roller and a primary charge roller, in which at least three elements selected among the group consisting of magnetic roller, doctor blade, photosensitive drum, wiper blade, fuser roller and primary charge roller are removed from the cartridge, in which the said removed elements are coated with an anti abrasive coating, and in which, after coating, the said elements are placed back in the cartridge. The coating of the fuser roller is preferably an anti stick and anti abrasive roller, while the coating of the other elements of the toner cartridge to be coated is an anti static and anti abrasive coating.